Hit'n'Run
by Nexicallium
Summary: In the middle of all the Kira panic, old orphans from Wammy's, called the "Original 25", are being targeted by a mysterious murderer who has even attempted to kill L! Can C save what remains of the Original 25? Or will she succumb to her own emotions?
1. PROLOGUE

March 14, 1985

The miniscule town of Stellarton was coated in a thick blanket of snow. The flakes fell to the ground gracefully, taking their time to perform aerobatics for anyone who'd watch. They were performing for the children looking out of a large window at an orphanage in the heart of the town. They watched in awe from the warmth of the building as the ground collected the frozen drops. Winter was always exceptionally beautiful.  
"Out of my way, out of my way!" A plump elderly woman shooed some kids from her path as she attempted to get to the main entrance of the small orphanage. She maneuvered around the clump by the window, and opened the door. Outside stood an elderly man, dressed in fine attire. He bowed to her.  
"Miss Verne, I presume?"  
"Yes, it is. And you must be Quilish?"  
"Indeed I am."  
"My supervisors told me you'd be coming, but not for what."  
"Actually, I'm here for an adoption."  
"…you _can't _be serious. A famous inventor coming all the way from England just to adopt a child from this filthy place? It's likely you're kidding."  
"I kid you not. But if you'd be so kind, I'd like to see what sort of children you may have available."  
"Ah…yes. Right this way."  
The two walked off down the hall. Once gone, conversations erupted around the room simultaneously.  
"Someone's going to get adopted!"  
"Did she say famous? And England?"  
"I really hope it's me this time!"  
Eventually, the chatter got so out of hand that it grew to an unbearable volume. Footfalls running down the stairs weren't even heard.  
"HEY! QUIET, ALL OF YOU!" A sharp voice from the top of the stairs spat out.  
The room became unnaturally quiet. They turned towards the staircase where a six year old girl stood with narrowed eyes, a grimace, and her arms crossed. "Don't you realize how noisy you idiots are? No one's getting adopted; it's the same every time. They hate us entirely. We were always meant to be bad people, no wonder our parents left us here."  
"Don't say that!"  
"Why deny the truth? It's useless to dreams such stupid dreams. Don't lie to yourselves." She snorted and turned to go up the stairs again, her harsh words still stinging many people.  
"Morons…" she sighed, as she locked her room and fell onto her bed."Complete morons. How'd I ever end up here? Oh yes. Because my parents hated my guts. For good reason, I guess." She shifted her eyes sideways, and then got off her bed. She walked over to her window and pulled apart the dirty lace curtains, then stared outside at the snow for a minute without blinking. "I hate the winter."

"Tea, Mr. Wammy?"  
"Yes please. Earl Grey if you don't mind."  
Miss Verne poured the tea into a cup and gave it to the man. He sipped it noiselessly.  
She gave a little nervous cough. "So… would you like to see the profiles?"  
"Oh yes. Please do."  
She walked over to a small filing cabinet and opened the bottom drawer with the key tied around her neck. She withdrew several folders and placed them on the table separating her from Wammy.  
He set down his cup and picked up a folder. He opened it and skimmed through it quickly, then put it down again. Verne began talking endlessly about the orphans.  
"Well, there's Charles Miller, he's fun and bouncy, but not so hygienic… oh, Marcy Istan, she's cute… but hopelessly stupid…. And let's not forget Ty Warblok, he… well, not very many good points there, but he's a frequent trouble maker…"  
"What about this one?" Wammy held up a folder.  
"… her? You're seriously asking about her of all people?"  
"Yes. I suppose I am. So do tell."  
"Oh. Right. Well… she's… loud."  
"Go on."  
"And dominant."  
"Continue."  
"She… seems to swear a bit… dunno where she picked that up from…"  
"A mild setback, but it can be cured."  
"And… she seems to have a negative perspective on life."  
"…oh?"  
"She walks around criticizing everyone and everything, putting depressing thoughts into other orphans with tales about how their parents hated them, and basically talking about how much she hates certain things."  
"Certain things?"  
"…well, not certain things. Virtually everything. I've yet to find one thing that she likes."  
"…Miss Verne, how is the education here?"  
"Well, three times a week for about four hours per day, a teacher comes in and teaches them the basics…"  
"…and books? Do you have many books around? Or puzzles?"  
"Only a few in the classroom. Why?"  
"Miss Verne, may I speak with this orphan?"  
"Ah..well…. I suppose I'd allow that, but as for her… she's temperamental."  
"I see. Please take me to her."

"Well, here we are…" Miss Verne stopped outside a wooden door. She knocked three times on the door. There was no response. "Are you in the-"  
"I'M IN HERE, I JUST DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU RIGHT NOW!"  
"See?" She looked at Wammy. "Temperamental." She cleared her voice. "There is someone here to see you!"  
"If it's a legal guardian, I don't wish to partake in it. If it's another orphan, they can go to hell. If it's another authority figure, don't waste your breath."  
"Stubborn child It's no use…" Verne started to walk away, expecting Wammy to follow. Instead, he remained outside the door.  
"Miss, can I simply talk to you? I am not an orphan, an authority figure, nor am I going to take you away."  
"…what's in it for me if I open up this door?"  
"You could gain a chance to do some extraordinary things."  
"And how do you know that if I open this door that I don't have a knife and I'm not waiting to stab your face?"  
"That's a little out of the blue."  
"It is, but it's always an option."  
"Well, I will trust in you, and take that risk. But then you should trust in me and listen to what I have to say."  
The doorknob turned. Verne watched in amazement as Wammy managed to walk in, then out safely within five minutes.  
"Well, thank you for your time, Miss Verne. I'll be off now."  
"Wait…what? You're not adopting? Did she say something…?"  
"Oh no, quite the opposite! I do want to adopt her. But not yet. Keep her on hold for me."  
"And what if I refuse, or someone comes in wanting her?"  
"I will send you a check every month with some money. Think of it as a holding fee. Though I have some terms…"  
"Terms?"  
"Yes. You must use at least half of the money to buy books, puzzles, and more wages for the teacher. The other half…you can spend on whatever."  
Verne's eyes glazed over. Money was her weakness. "So, how long should I keep her?"  
"Till about sixteen or so. I want you to indulge her in education, but don't pressure her too much!"  
"Right! Will do! Thank you for coming, Mr. Wammy! Have a safe trip!" The man walked out. "Hehe, money every month for a decade, just for keeping this brat in line? What a scrumptious deal!" She hummed and walked off to attend to dinner.  
Back in her room, the girl had heard everything. She was basically being held as an object, like she was on layaway for this one guy who didn't want her until she grew up. To make matters even worse, she would be tortured with school work due to Verne's greed. Ten years would be a rocky road to conquer, she thought.  
Nonetheless, she opened the drawer of her vanity and placed the package Wammy had given her in it. She had been instructed not to open it until her 16th birthday. So there it would wait, locked up and out of mind.


	2. Chapter 1: Goodbye

August 24 1995

I sat awake on my bedroom floor, simply counting down the seconds until midnight passed. Was this what every orphan did? We didn't know the exact moment of our birth, just the day, and even then, that was sometimes wrong. But it was one minute to midnight. Soon, the 25th would be upon me. My alleged date of birth, according to the rough letter that was with me when I was handed over to the orphanage.  
Midnight struck, and I fell to the floor, on my back, eagle spread with glossy eyes. Anyone walking in right then would've presumed me dead. Sixteen. Already. It seemed like forever already, and here I was, at the legal age to leave this place and start with my own life. Which was exactly what I'd do. I had it all planned out; I'd live in a cheaply rented place using the money that was left for me, and get a job, then I'd find a nice man, get married, have a child or two and settle down for the rest of my small-town life. Nothing could change that. Nothing in my mind, that was.  
A few hours later, I walked downstairs alone. Everyone was already downstairs. I was always the last one down. Always. And as always, I glared at everyone as I stood at the top of the last flight of stairs. It was force of habit. I'd been doing that intimidating thing since my preschool days. Not that I ever went to preschool, really. Took the mickey out of the orphanage's budget to have a preschool as well as 1-6 grade level classes.  
"Ah! Alice, you're awake!" Miss Verne hurried over to me, and grabbed my wrist. She tugged at me, trying to drag me off into the unknowns. I wouldn't budge.  
"The hell are you doing?"  
"Oh! Sorry for being so excited, really… but I have something to give you!"  
I snorted. "A penny for my thoughts? Another card drawn from a napkin? Give me a break, Verne. Don't think I haven't learned from previous gifts."  
She stared at me for a while, speechless. Then she came back with a sharp, "It's not from me, girl. It's from another person."  
"Oh? Could my parents actually care for once and decide to make contact with me AFTER I'm at a legal age to live on my own?"  
"Hold your tongue, missy. It isn't from your parents, and I don't wish to reveal it in front of an audience." She eyed the accumulating crowd of curious onlookers. "Just go with it and no one gets hurt."  
I sighed and snatched my wrist from her grip. She glared, and then walked forward. I followed silent but staring daggers into her skull.

"Here. Into the office. NOW." She opened the door, and I strode in. She locked the door behind us, and I sank into a worn out arm chair. She took a seat on her cushioned stool.  
"So…?"  
Verne opened a drawer in her filing cabinet, and withdrew a key. "Someone wanted me to give you this when you turned sixteen."  
"Someone…?"  
"You're honestly telling me you don't remember?"  
"No. I don't."  
"An elderly man, visiting you, giving you a package…?"  
"Oh…" My mind flickered back to the moment when I had received the package from the man who called himself Watari. Naturally, I had torn off the brown paper surrounding the package, but I hadn't yet been able to hack into the box inside, complete with heavy-duty lock. "So this is the key to that?"  
"Yes. So go up there, unlock that thing, and then do whatever. Just don't let the others know."  
"Right…" I took the key and pocketed it, then rushed out of the office and up to my room. I locked the door, and after making sure it was 100% locked, I opened the drawer to my chest and withdrew the box. It was wooden with a silver padlock on it. It wasn't fancy in the least. It was heavy, and whenever I shook it, I heard something slide around in it. I had always wondered what that was. Now was my day to find out.  
I inserted the key into the lock, and turned it. It opened with a barely audible click. I lifted the top, only to find another little parcel inside of the box, also wrapped with brown paper. I eagerly tore it off, and found myself puzzled in an instant. What lay before me was a credit card of sorts , an all-expense-paid voucher for a trip to England, a special passport, and a letter. Half amused, half frustrated, I read the letter.

_Alice,  
Happy 16th! Unless you are a very gifted lock pick or very strong (I doubted both) this will be your 16th. I am writing to you just to tell you that you have been inducted into Wammy's Orphanage for the Incredibly Gifted. You are not alone on this adventure, either. At least twenty other children of all ages from around the globe will join you at our resort in England where you will have a chance to show your talent. You do not have to come, but we would appreciate it if you would. Just use your passport and the voucher at any airport, and you will automatically be transferred to England on my behalf. The credit card had 10 000 pounds on it; use them wisely. Finally, show this letter to the Headmaster at a place called Baubillary. It's just down the road from the airport you will arrive in, so you can simply walk for twenty minutes or call a cab. Either way, they will take you to Wammy's, and there you can start your life up again. As I said earlier, this is entirely up to you, but to be honest, I see little opportunity in the town that you're in right now. Such genius as yours will be admired here.  
Yours Truly,  
L _

I re-read the letter. England? Did I seriously want to go there? Who was L? And what talent did I possess? None. None whatsoever! But I had 10 000 pounds, which I assumed was a lot, and letting them rot on a card would be pointless. So the next day, I hit the airport on a whim.

"Had a good trip, Miss?" The tall airport guard asked me, as he escorted me off the plane. Guards. Why had no one told me I had guards?  
"Ah, yeah, sure. Food was shit though."  
"Such profanity shouldn't be coming from a lady's lips, you know," he teased.  
" Pfft. Be damned if I care." I scanned the airport and found an ice cream shack off to my left. " Oh, look! Real food!"  
I casually stomped off towards the vendor, expecting my bodyguard to haul me back. He didn't. He simply followed me.  
"Dammit. Ugh, never mind. I'll wait. Or not," I added quickly, spotting a mini grocery off in the distance.  
For half an hour, I went around the shops, buying various food items. My guard simply stared in awe at what a teenage girl could get down.  
"Well," I said, after eating a giant pretzel covered in chocolate. "I'm still hungry, but it'll clog my arteries if I continue. So, to the Headmaster, yes?" I suppressed the urge to laugh maniacally at the guard's horrified expression.

"Where are ye headin'?"  
"Baubillary."  
"That old place?"  
"Unfortunately, yes."  
The taxi was half the size of the ones in America. I was cramped in the back with my guard, while some old guy who smelled of fish and cigars drove us to our destination.  
"What business ye got there, miss?"  
"I plan a massacre of everyone of the surrounding area. I'll give everyone five minutes to get out of a three mile radius of the place, then it's hunting time." The taxi nearly swerved. I found my talent of horrifying people to be quite amusing. Surely that wasn't the talent L was referring to in his letter?  
We arrived ten minutes later, and I almost fell out of the taxi, gasping for the crisp clean air of the countryside only to have my lungs refill with the scent of smoke.  
"Dammit, are they having some sort of bonfire back there?" I mutterer, eyeing the large quantities of smoke billowing out from behind the large chapel.  
My guard went around the back, then came back to me. "It's some sort of weird feast thing. They're smoking mackerel and pig back there. It's rather horrifying."  
I shrugged. "Then let's head in." I beckoned at the door. He nodded curtly and we walked in. The entrance hall was empty, an unusual sign for me, for the entrance hall at my old orphanage had always been more then overcrowded. I promenaded down the floor until I reached an oak door with the gold letters "HEADMASTER" emblazoned on it. I knocked on the door three times.  
"Come in," a gruff voice sounded. I opened the door.  
A chubby old man with a shabby appearance sat at a desk piled with paper and junk. He looked up and stared. "Who're you?"  
I fished out the letter and slapped it on the desk. "Read that and find out."  
He gave it a once over and then clapped his hands. "Alice! Ah, let's see… I need to get you a heli for the place, don't I?" He grabbed a mobile phone and started pressing buttons then jabbering away on it.  
"Heli..?" I asked, a bit befuddled. Surely enough, my question was answered when a small helicopter landed on the grounds outside Baubillary.  
"You'll be riding this to Wammy's."  
"Is it..safe?"  
"I'unno. How about you ask the twenty five kids who came and went on it before you this week alone?"  
"…point proven. Let's get this show on the road." I got into the helicopter with a little difficulty, wondering how short I was in all honesty. My guard helped me onto it. I uttered small "Thank you" as he got on too. Then we headed off.  
"Next stop, another orphanage," I muttered to myself, as the thing took off the ground and into the sky.


	3. Chapter 2: Inducted

"Who goes there?" barked an officer. He was guarding a rather large, castle-like establishment, one that children could only dream of being in. I was no longer a child though; I could not see the beauty in this place. I stormed my way through the grounds, and pushed the man as I went by.  
"Outta my way, outta my way…" I said as I progressed and more guards came to see what was happening. Eventually, I got ambushed by them.  
"You can't go up there, miss, sorry."  
"Please vacate the premises at once, ma'am."  
"Don't make us hurt you."  
Then I did what I expect not many people do to the authorities; I landed a swift punch straight between the brows of a burly man who had gotten a bit too close. Then everyone started to tackle me.  
"Ma'am, stop struggling! Come quietly, please!"  
"SHADDUP AND LEMME THOUGH. Bunch of good for nothing, half assed…OOF!" And I went down as some exceptionally heavy guy plowed into me.  
BY the end of the eventful ten minutes on the field, I was pretty sure a couple of my ribs had been cracked and that I'd be hearing from several lawyers. Not a good impression to start with. I was hauled into the main offices of the place anyways, held by handcuffs. My hair was a mess and I gave a lethal glare at anyone who dare look my way. Bruises aligned my face and arms. There were even a couple scratches on my cheek. I sat, guarded by two other burly men, just waiting for the headmaster to come and expel me.  
He arrived, and I glowered. He looked at me, mildly surprised, and sighed. "Let her go, boys. She's a student."  
"Oh..sorry, boss. Sorry, ma'am." The two tried to apologize. They didn't sound so forgiving to me, but I ignored it.  
"Here to give me the boot?"  
"No. Here to give you the mitten."  
"Then go right ah-wait, what?"  
"What?"  
" _Mitten? _Seriously, man, that ain't funny."  
"'Ain't" is not a word."  
"Is in my universe. And right now, in my universe, I see your rump getting roasted by toddlers if I'm not dealt with right now."  
"…right, right, come this way. I'll show you around." He sighed.  
"Whoa, dude. I don't even know your name."  
"Roger. Now come, quickly, so we can get supper started."  
"That late already?"  
"It appears you lose track of time when picking fights with the police on the front lawn, hm?"  
"It's quite fun, actually, you should try it sometime."  
"Uh-huh…" He continued down the hall, standing regal and taking long strides. I shuffled a bit quicker, slightly slouched, trying to keep up with him.  
He went up a spiral staircase. "These are the dorms. There's a males dorm, and a females dorm. The female's side, as you may notice later on, is smaller than the males due to the number of orphans here."  
"Sexist…" I muttered, and jogged a bit to keep up the pace. He went to open the girl's dorm doors, when suddenly he withdrew his hands. He knocked on the door three times, and announced "Headmaster is coming in! All exposed undergarments should be hidden in three, two, one…" Then he opened the door. Clever move, Roger, I noted silently. He would've probably been killed by the girls if he caught them dressing or something.  
The oak floors were shining with a polish so reflective, I had to seriously resist the urge to slide on them in my socks right then. There were red velvet couches and armchairs, gathered around a stone fireplace, which was alight. Several tabled remained at the back accompanied by chairs of all sorts. Windows surrounded the circular room, covered by burgundy curtains.  
Roger continued across the room, and to another door. He knocked on that one, and a voice inside shouted, "Come in!" He turned the brass knob and walked in, with me trotting at his heels.  
A girl with light caramel hair and an Asian physique sat on a bed, while a girl with red hair and pallid skin and a girl with blonde hair and bright blue eyes sat on the floor next to the bed. They looked up.  
"K, V, P, this is your new roommate, ah…" Roger took out a piece of paper form his pocket and read it. "Oh dear, looks like we have a problem. Ah, we'll do introductions later, girls. Right now, this girl and I have to take care of a problem." He grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the dorm, without a single word passed between me and the others.

A little while later, I was left sitting in the Headmaster's office. A broad wooden desk sat before me, and a bookshelf with a vast array of novels lied behind that. On the desk was nothing but a laptop, open and facing me. Once again, I resisted the urge to go up and surf the web on it for fun.  
Roger came back in, followed by a boy with almond hair and a rosy complexion. He sunk into the seat next to me. He looked about my age. He looked over to me.  
"Hi there!" He chirped at me, and held out a hand for me to shake. I looked away, arms crossed.  
Roger sat behind his desk, and looked at the two of us. "Girl, you may not know this yet, but here at Wammy's we have a form of code of conduct. There are exactly twenty five children here currently. One for each letter of the alphabet. We assign letters as codenames and refer to each other as such only. Otherwise, it may be dangerous to your mortality. However, we have a bit of a mistake here. You and the boy sitting next to you, both have a name that starts with the letter A. Since males usually dominate over namesakes, and A seems to have a last name that also begins with A, we're renaming you. Two A's would be confusing, see. You understand."  
"So, you're just going to change my name just like that?" I snapped my fingers.  
"Yes. We are. I'm not entirely sure what namesake we can keep you with, but I assure you, Watari and L have done some digging into your past to find compatible letters. Watari?"  
"Yes?" A voice came out of the laptop. I recognized it from years back. The old man.  
"Have you done some digging into this girl's past?"  
"Indeed I have."  
"Hold up a minute!" I jumped from my chair. "Even I don't know my last name, how the hell can you?"  
The voice in the laptop chuckled. "You'd be surprised at what L can do."  
"Who's L?"  
"Would it be better for you to talk to him yourself?"  
"Pfft. Why not? Not like it's going to make much difference either way."  
A moment of silence, then a synthetic voice. "Hello. I am L. And you are…?"  
"Well, I wouldn't know that right now, seeing as I virtually don't exist here name-wise."  
"Wise. Roger, can you usher A from the room?"  
Roger complied and got the boy out.  
"That's better. Alice, I presume?"  
"'Bout time someone used my real name."  
"I'm not."  
"What did you say?"  
"I'm not. If there's problems, feel free to turn up the volume."  
"It's not the volume! Why would you say such a thing when you're calling me by it right now? Huh?"  
"Now is not the time to get frantic. "  
"Who exactly are you to be telling me not to get frantic?"  
"L. I am L, am I not?"  
"How would I know? You could be fifty and a pedophile for all I know."  
"I can safely assure you that I am not fifty nor am I a pedophile. Watari, on the other hand…"  
"L!" Roger hissed.  
"Sorry."  
"Then show me yourself in person. Come out from behind the computer, and show yourself." I taunted.  
"I cannot do that. Not only would my safety be put at risk, but I'd reveal that I am indeed fifty and into pedophilia."  
"I KNEW IT."  
"Alice!"  
"It's alright Roger. I was just joking about that one. Actually, I'm in my twenties."  
"Where I come from, homosexual people aged 90 say the exact same thing too."  
"There's no trusting anyone with you, is there?"  
"Not a chance."  
"Smart girl. Now, as for your name… Celeste."  
"Celeste? That sounds like the name of an elephant wearing a tiara or something."  
"No, not Celeste, that one was mixed up..that over here…ah-huh… oh ! Here we are. Cam Chebyl. Aged sixteen, resides from America, likes to scare people into submission and orange pekoe tea. Yuck."  
"Are you..mocking me?"  
"No, I just prefer green. Carrying on… you can be C, if you wish. That spot is open."  
"C? Are you serious about the whole Cam thing?"  
"Cameron. Like Cameron Diaz. Or something."  
"Are you positive?"  
"The night you were left on the orphanage doorstep, it was raining. The letter got smudged. Most of the ink ran off, including your name. Miss Verne decided that you looked like an Alice, therefore you must BE an Alice. Fat old brute."  
I snorted. "And why might you be calling Verne a brute?"  
"Because she only bought you four books throughout the course of money we sent her. Nonetheless, you managed to learn loads from them. And instead of taking the delicate time to mull over which books would help you learn better, she chucked you a dictionary, an encyclopedia, a grade 12 math textbook, and an Atlas. Am I correct?"  
"Correct." I gritted my teeth. L was right. She WAS a fat old brute.  
"Nonetheless, you managed to be much far ahead of many, even a prodigy in your country. Here, we call you average. Not up to B or A level, but you can get there easily."  
"That still doesn't solve my name crisis."  
"No, it doesn't. You must solve that puzzle yourself. Tell Roger when you know your name, and we'll take it into document. But I must go. Plenty of cases to keep me busy, you know."  
"No, I didn't."  
"Obviously not. Bye."  
The laptop shut off and I was left standing there, having had a probably the most interesting and most productive conversation of my life. Roger sided up to me. "Well? What'll it be?"  
"C. Why the hell not."  
"See what?"  
"You're an idiot, old man." I made a curve in the air in front of me with my index finger and left the room.


	4. Chapter 3: Boys

"You're back, I see…" The Asian girl looked at me and smiled. "We never got properly introduced. I'm K! This is V," she pointed at the blonde. "And P." She pointed at the redhead, who waved. I tried to return their smiles. "I'm C, apparently."  
K shrieked in laughter. I cringed slightly. "Yeah, we're all named like that. Most of us are freaks, with the exception of us here, really. This place is almost sexist… everyone but us has a unique habit. B is a slouching, sweet-eating creepy nineteen year old who has a habit of fiddling around with straw dolls… and A is technically a genius, super cute and popular to boot. Don't tell anyone, but I have a sort of crush on him…" K blushed. "You'll probably develop crushes as time wears on, too. Don't worry, though; as long as we remain friends here, we can tell each other everything, seeing as we are the only four girls at Wammys…"  
"We're the only females?"  
"Told you this place was sexist.""  
"Pfft. You're telling me."  
"Oh! It's five already! We'd better head down to the dining hall now, or we'll miss out! Those boys…they assume that we girls don't like to eat a lot, so they pig out on everything and leave skimpy salads and diet cokes for us." K shook her head sadly. She grabbed my wrist and pulled. "C'mon, I'll show you to the hall!"  
We made our way down to the dining hall, which looked more like what a school cafeteria might. The place was bursting with voices, not noticing any of us as we strided by to a table far away from the masculine crowd. A few stray eyes followed us, either because of the natural male attraction to females, or the fact that I was new here.  
A waiter came over to us once we were seated. "And what'll you lovely ladies have today?"  
"Oh, Pablo. Stop flattering us!" K flipped her hair. "I'll have sushi though. And green tea. Side of dango. You girls?" She looked at us three.  
"Steak. Medium rare, I guess. And some red currant wine." V picked her nails.  
"Can I just get some salad again? And perhaps some water?" P smiled shyly.  
"What about you, C?" K grinned.  
"Ah… do you serve..ahm…. pizza? Or something along the lines? And maybe cola? I dunno."  
"Pizza? I guess so… I'll check." Pablo scampered off to the kitchen as the rest of the girls looked at me.  
"No caviar, no grilled chicken? Nothing?" K looked at me astonished.  
"I.. never really had the chance to try lavish food and whatnot back in my old country."  
"Old country? Where's that?"  
"America."  
"…well, that explains things."  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
"Not to insult you or anything, C, but America's not exactly the most…cultured place."  
"…true enough, their only good food invention was the hotdog, but whatever. I still like junk food, got a problem?"  
"Eat too much junk food, C, and your waistline will give," taunted V.  
""I'm not! I'm actually very athletic! And I'll prove it to you if you want me to!"  
"Run 20 laps around the orphanage. Then we'll see who's in shape!"  
"I….you… you're on!"  
Mutters erupted from around the room as I shouted out my acceptance of the challenge. I got red faced, and rushed out of the hall, and ran off outside. People lined the windows just to watch me attempt the feat. I could see K glaring at V, who looked rather smug at the moment. I clenched my teeth, and jetted off. It was raining, but it was only one more thing to drive me to finishing.  
A few minutes later, everyone gave up on watching me. I was on my eleventh lap, still going strong. If that little twit didn't believe me, I'd have to prove myself. Prove that I was worth what I said. I never backed down. I was queen bee, and no one could stop me!  
…Except, maybe, that rock that I tripped over. I stumbled to get up. The ground was muddy and wet; I didn't want to remain there long. But once to my feet again, I stumbled. _Oh, god, no_. My ankle hurt like a thousand pins were pushed into it. Angry, I tried to half limp, half crawl, back to an entrance, any entrance at all.  
I gave up five minutes later when I found my hands and elbows were calloused. I wasn't even close to a door.  
"I'll just lie here. Just fucking lie here and drown."  
"You can't drown in this rain!"  
"Oh great. For the love of god, who…" I turned my head and looked.  
"The wonderful A, at your service!" The boy I had met earlier in Roger's office grinned and bowed.  
"Great. Chivalry is still worming around with its head sliced off."  
"Exactly what I said, A." The other boy glanced sideways. He seemed not wanting to get his dark hair wet.  
"Stuff it, B, and help her. Honest to god, you're such a bum."  
"A bum? I'm not a bum, you're a bum!"  
"Who came in looking one way, then rapidly changed into some slouching weirdo within three months who wears eyeliner?"  
"A, I'll kill you if you say anymore."  
"An empty threat- hey, she's getting away!"  
T o avoid the petty argument behind me, I started to grope my way along the ground, trying to escape as fast I could on blistered hands. A grabbed my arm and pulled me up.  
'You're not going anywhere! We've got you! Don't worry, you'll be fine! I know first aid, and all sorts of stuff, and-"  
"She wants to crawl away from you, A. Even I can see that. Let her be."  
"Come now, B, help me with her, she's a bit heavy-"  
A fell to the ground, seeing as I nailed him one in the jugular. B began to laugh hysterically.  
"Oh man, I wish I had a video camera right then! That was the single most awesome thing I've ever seen!"  
A got up and rubbed his neck. "Haha, very funny. But I suppose I deserved it for calling her heav- I DIDN'T MEAN IT, I SWEAR!" He cowered as I raised my fist again.  
"Listen, I don't wanna stay out her any longer, so you grab the fists, I'll grab the feet. Got it?"  
"But..but.."  
"The fists and feet are both of equal danger, let me assure you. I haven't seen her kick yet, but knowing what I just saw, I don't want to. So let's go. C'mon already!"  
A unwillingly took hold of my wrists, and B grabbed my feet, being slightly careless of my injury. They hauled me back in after a few minutes of thrashing and cursing courtesy of me.  
I fell to the ground a short distance with a thud. "OUCH! Careful , you jerks!"  
"Dear god, you're vicious." B stared as I attempted to hoist myself up to my feet with a railing bar near me.  
"YOU!" I pointed at him. He remained calm. "YOU'RE THE ONE WHO THOUGHT OF THE IDEA! IF I WEREN'T INJURED RIGHT NOW, I'D KILL YOU!"  
"A threat I've made many times before. Keyword; injured. You can't do anything. So, say we left you here. You'd have to crawl all the way to the nurse office, and you probably don't even know where it's at. Which would take you hours. In that time, you'd most likely pass out from exhaustion."  
"Or Roger would come along, I tell him you left me here to claw my way around the boy's dormitory, and you'd get in deep trouble."  
"Touché."  
"But…how'd y'know we were in the boy's dorm?" A asked.  
I would've face palmed if both my hands weren't being used to support my torso. "You're not so bright, are you? Or at least very observant…" I nodded towards a point beyond them, where a couple of guys were staring at our little meeting, wrapped only in towels around the waist.  
"Oh, _mother of_…. SHIELD YOUR EYES!" A went to cover my eyes.  
"GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME. CHIVALRY SHOULD BE PUT OUT OF ITS MISERY RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW." I bit his hand.  
"YEOUCH!"  
"A, just quit it." B took a hold of my arm, and pulled it out from under me. I promptly fell to the floor. He started dragging me down the hall.  
"Where are you taking me? I demand to know!"  
"Anywhere but in here." He opened the door to the entrance hall, and pushed me out. "And stay there. To hell with Roger." He closed the door behind him.  
"…well, you're a brute too!" I sat there and crossed my arms. At least he had the decency to sit me upright. Nonetheless, the hall was empty, and I knew my room was just up the stairs. However , I didn't feel like crawling up a spiral staircase at this hour.  
"Roger?" I called out. It was dark outside the window. I started to panic. "Roger! ROGER?"  
No reply. The old bastard probably had his hearing aid turned off or he just enjoyed ignoring people. But I was faced with a problem. I was stuck outside the boy's dorm at an ungodly hour of the night, with a sore ankle that couldn't support me. I sucked in my breath and gripped a ledge near me. I pulled myself up, and started working my way over to the stairs.  
An hour passed, and I had gotten up half the stairs. Not so bad. But I made a false leap and, in the blink of an eye, I tumbled backwards, shouting "OW, OW, OW,OW!" loudly as I went. I wondered how Roger reacted to puddles of brains on the floor when he went to get his morning coffee.  
Surprisingly enough, I managed to slow down my fall, and only flopped stupidly down a couple of steps lightly. I groaned and got my face off the carpet.  
"Smooth move, Flipper." I looked up and once again, jeering at me was B, with a worried looking A next to him.  
"Hell, what do you want?"  
"Nothing. Just came to see the show."  
"You…bastard."  
"Call me as you may. Remember, you're the one who hated chivalry."  
"Is this some sort of karma thing?"  
"You tell me."  
"Why you…"  
"Now now, everyone, let's not fight! Roger will be here any minute, wondering why we have an injured girl at our feet and wondering why there happens to be blood on B's hands and face, and…why do you…?" A looked sideways at B.  
"Blood….?" He licked the corner of his mouth. "No, no, that's just jam."  
"Whatever the case, we should escort her to at least the top of the stairs. That way, we won't get in trouble and Roger'll honor us for helping out! You'll be able to get out that detention for next Friday, B!"  
B looked at him. "I'd rather the detention. I'm off." He walked away.  
A sighed. "Please, let me help you, and I won't tell anyone!"  
I growled. "You'd best not. You'd best not think I owe you anything, or have become your friend. Where I come from, people feared me."  
"….I can tell."  
"WHAT WAS THAT?"  
"Nothing, nothing… just hold up a bit…" He took one of my hands and put it over his shoulder, and his other hand wrapped around my waist. We started up the stairs, me giving him the vicious glare every time he looked at me.  
"Keep your eyes on the road, chump."  
"Sorry… here we are! I'm guessing your room is right over there?" He pointed across the dorm room.  
"Yep. Now, lemme go."  
"Haha! You're in my power now! So I'll escort you over anyways!" He continued. As he said, I couldn't move either arm. But I dug my good foot into the ground.  
"Hold up, you can't!"  
"Why not?"  
"You'll be spotted."  
"And what's wrong with that?"  
"Other than the fact that I requested this never leaves the deepest corners of our minds, there's a girl in there who likes you and if she sees me with you, she'll think I'm dating you, and get all angry at me, and…. that shit."  
"Oh…..I see." He let me lean on a wall, and let me go. "Well, g'night! I hope me become good friends! And I'm sure B'll come around, he's just very… temperamental. And slightly sadistic."  
"I TOLD YOU, WE'RE NOT BUDDIES!"  
"Right…sorry. See ya!" He disappeared. I grappled my way over to the door, and turned the knob. As soon as it turned, I fell in the room face first. The other three screamed.  
"C! What took you so long?" K helped me up while everyone else was catching their breath.  
"Tripped and hurt myself. Had to crawl my way back…"  
"Why didn't you just head to the nurse?" V sneered.  
"V, quit it. C's seriously hurt here. Here, lie down on this bed. It's yours. I'll call a nurse in the morning." She helped me over to a bed over to the far left. I sat on it, and sighed.  
"Thanks," I mumbled.  
"So…where were we?" K sat down on her bed again. V and P were on theirs too.  
"Discussing the guys? Hell yeah." V breathed. "Who's your fave, K?"  
"You know that, everyone here knows that!"  
"A, obviously. She's head over heels in love." P giggled.  
"What about you, P?"  
"M-me? Well, I, uh…. Don't…. really…" She looked both ways before whispering, "You promise to keep it secret?"  
"Promise," The two girls chanted.  
P looked my way. "You too, C?"  
I glanced sideways and smiled. "Of course I wouldn't tell. I'm not that nasty." I gave V a dirty look.  
"Right..well…. F."  
"F?"  
"Ohmygod. No way!"  
"He's cute enough! I see why you like him, P!"  
I stood a bit confused. "Who's…F?"  
"Oh right. You never got proper introductions to everyone today. Hehe." K looked around. "but you must've met some guys today! I saw a couple looking your way!"  
"K, that's because I was new…"  
"Sure, you can keep on telling yourself that if you choose to not believe the truth. I saw A and B watching you though… the top two of the class." She was serious suddenly, and not giddy anymore.  
"A and B…? Oh, them! Yeah, I talked with them a bit today."  
"And what did they say?" K asked sharply. I knew she'd react badly to me being around A.  
" They were helping me indoors. A didn't say anything though. B just kept shooting his mouth off at me…and dropped me on the floor."  
"…oh. Okay…" Her mood lightened. I breathed. "So it's B then?"  
"What? No, I didn't say that!"  
"Sure, but you may have been thinking it. I'm good at getting people like that."  
" I do not like him, he's a ruthless bastard void of any human emotion. He's sadistic and basically creepy as hell."  
"You keep saying that. You keep saying that."  
"Hey, C…" P piped up.  
"Mm?"  
"Speaking of A and B, in L's successor line, you're technically third in line."  
"I'm what?"  
"We go in alphabetical order. It's probably just coincidence that the top two kids are A and B, but if you get enough studies in…. you can rise to their level!"  
"More like sink to it…"  
The discussion ended sometime later. I lay awake for a few minutes, still wet from the rain, my ankle still throbbing. I could still feel where B had dropped me. I cursed under my breath. I had no other reason other than his slight cruelty at me, but I didn't like him in the least. He gave me the creeps. I didn't see the guy becoming a genius, I saw him becoming a Jack The Ripper wannabe. "Bastard," I muttered, so softly that no one could hear it, barely even myself. Then I closed my eyes and drifted to sleep.


	5. Chapter 4: Assault

June 14 1996

A year has passed since I first came to Wammy's. And a lot has changed. L was right; I did have a gift. I quickly rose into the top three within five months, and proved that females could be better than most males here. K eventually got around to dating A, but she left Wammy's not so long ago to work on a program as a biologist for bacteria and stuff. Not too sure on that. Actually, a lot of people were checking out of Wammy's now that we were getting older. They started bringing in new orphans, some even babies. I saw one come in a few months ago, one that they deemed Near. Stupid name in my opinion, but that was just me.  
Out of the original tweny five, only fifteen of us were left in the orphanage. A and B remained here, as did P and V. F and his buddy I had left for Taiwan. According to rumors, F was the one who found Near, but we didn't know for sure. P was scheduled to leave for Australia this week. Which would leave the nasty V to duke it out with me. I loathed the girl. She thought she was all that because she came from a richer environment unlike me, who came from the 'burbs.

"We'll miss you, P!" I hugged her. Her red hair was in a high ponytail flowing down her back and I could feel it as I gripped her. She hugged me back. "I'll miss you too, C, but we'll always be in touch by L's system!"  
"Oh yeah, L's system…" L's system was a secret chat room type thing we used to connect with one another. Only the twenty six of us were allowed on it.  
"See ya, P! You stay beautiful!" A winked at her. P blushed.  
As people lined up to wish her fairwell, I noticed two people missing from the crowd; B and V. That in itself was suspicious.  
"Hey, A…" I nudged him.  
"Hm?"  
"You're B's friend, where is he today?"  
"That shut-in decided to stay locked in his room, studying all day. He's been obsessed with anatomy lately." A shook his head sadly. "What about V? Have you seen her around?"  
"No, I haven't. Not today, that is. We generally don't make contact. Now that P's going , the atmosphere is going to be very tense in our room to say the least."  
"Right… well, you know, if you ever get in trouble, just give me a call!" He grinned and walked away.  
I put my fingers around the phone hidden under my shirt. We had been given phones as a present last year, and despite everything that I had once said, A and I had been in good acquaintance. He ran favors for me, I ran favors for him. Nothing too big. But he had still given me his number just in case I got into some form of peril. As if.  
After the car rode off, I went back inside and up to my room. I tried the knob, but it was locked. "That's strange…" I slid my spare key into the lock and opened it. At once , rage filled me.  
Everything that I owned had been put into one small pile in the corner of the room. Around that and a small air mattress, a white line had been drawn. V smirked on her bed.  
"Oh, hello, C. Nice to see you. Now please, if you don't mind, get onto your side ASAP."  
"_My side? _What the hell, V? You can't just deem sides like that! What do you have against me?"  
"Nothing. I just like picking fights." She lept off the bed and approached me.  
"If this is because of the grades, maybe if you picked up a textbook once in a whi-"  
She slapped my face hard. I gasped for breath as I leaned over sideways. I looked up, and delivered a punch to her abdomen.  
"You…" she started punching me to a pulp. I attempted to defend myself and attack back, pushing her into a rebounded, and cam,e right back with a fist enclosing the french tips inside. I narrowly avoided it and lunged for her hair. She swung back and elbow, knocking the breath out of me. I stumbled backwards and tripped over a book knocked out of the bookshelf, onto my back on the floor. V viciously took a pocket knife out from underneath her pillow , and looked as me, one foot on my stomach.  
"You wouldn't."  
"I might, C."  
She lunged at me. I tried to defend myself. In the end, I ended up with several gashes in my hands and sharp pains jutting around in my eye. I sat up, leaned against the wall. I covered my right eye with my hand, letting all the anger I had bottled up over the year pour out. "YOU BITCH! YOU BITCH! I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO ME!" Blood trickled through my fingers and down my arm. V picked up a suitcase, and kicked me in the stomach. I bent over. She laughed sharply.  
"Guess the scariest and meanest couldn't help but get hurt, huh? I'm blowing this joint. _Ciao." _She opened the door and left, still laughing.  
I sat, trying to think for a minute. My eye gave out several sharp burst of pain. I couldn't think straight at all. As a last resort, I pulled out my phone and clicked the speed dial.  
"…Hello?"  
"A?"  
"No, B. What do you want, C?"  
" B, hand the phone over to A. Right now." I panted and breathed heavily as I spoke.  
"Whoa. You don't sound okay. You really should've called someone who care- oh, that's right, you did. He's in the shower right now, can I take a message?"  
"FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, B, V JUST ASSAULTED ME. I'M BLEEDING TO DEATH UP HERE. SOMEONE HAD BETTER COME QUICK."  
"V? Assault you? What did she do?"  
"Lunged at my eye. With a knife."  
"Bravo."  
"B, if anything , just pass the message on to A right now. Or at least a nurse?"  
"Why didn't you call 911?"  
I paused. Why hadn't I call them? Why hadn't I? It seemed so logical. "I…wasn't thinking straight. Just hurry up!"  
"Someone let friendship cloud their mind."  
"B, SHUT THE FUCK UP."  
"Neve- oh…uhm… No, A, it's… guh!"  
"Hello?" A's voice sounded through the phone.  
"A! It's C!"  
"Something the matter?"  
"I'm bleeding to death, and growing faint... yeah, I think that qualifies."  
"What? How? Who…nevermind, I'll ask questions later. I'll be right up. Girls dorm right?"  
"Yeah." The phone clicked. I let mine clatter to the floor as I just leaned back and hoped they'd come in time.A pool of blood gathered on my lap. _ Fuck, _I thought. I blacked out casually.


	6. Chapter 5: Request

April 6 2001

Five years later, I received an email from L on my laptop. I had to assemble at Wammys ASAP, apparently. I replied to it, telling him I was on my way, and then took off. The private jet I owned sailed quietly across the ocean,. From America to England. It had been almost five years since I'd been there last. My orphanage days were supposedly over. But now, I found myself going back. I didn't know why. But I did know that if L wanted it done, it _had _to be done.  
I sailed into the airport with ease. I got out of the plane, and got into the limo available for me. My driver seemed uneasy. He tried to make small talk with me, though nervously.  
"So… which letter are you?"  
"Does that concern you?"  
"Well, no, but…."  
"Then keep your eyes on the road." My heart raced at that quote. How long had it been since I used that one? Six years, at the very least.  
We arrived on time. I stepped out of the limo and proceed to make my way up the stairs. I opened the familiar doors, and went on to the meeting room in the underground, passing various children as I went. They all seemed so quiet, so terrifyingly lonesome and lifeless. This new generation was unlike mine in every way.  
I knocked on the metallic door twice. A deep voice from inside shouted, "Come on in!"  
I went in and looked around. All my old friends from Wammy's. I noticed a few people were missing though. Shrugging it off casually, I took a seat next to the chubby D. A computer screen shined on the wall at the head of the long meeting table. A familiar synthetic voice sounded.  
"Greetings, agents."  
"Hello, L," people murmured from around the table.  
"It is nice to see everyone got good jobs and made the best of their abilities." He sounded uncertain. "You may be wondering why I have gathered you here. There are, actually, two matters that need to be resolved."  
"Matters? What sort of matters?" I sat up, and shifted my hands into a folded pose on the table.  
"First off… my death."  
"Death?"  
"Well, not yet, of course. But what happens when I do die? Who will take my place as L?"  
Mutters erupted around the room. L continued.  
"We already have two successors that Roger nominated."  
"And they are..?" D asked.  
"Near and Mello. As two, they can surpass even I."  
"I doubt it. Two kids? Yeah right." J laughed.  
"They're more gifted than you, J. Please don't laugh." J shut up abruptly. "So, I don't want any fights erupting about who had the rights to my title when I die, understood? I've already got a backup plan. You need not worry. You are your own letters, from A-Z. You could even hand your title down if you chose to, like I. Feel free to, by the way," he added.  
"And what's the second matter…?" S questioned.  
"Second matter isn't really a matter. More of a request. I need you twenty two agents to do a group effort mission for me. As you know, each of you excels in a different subject. K has a gift for dealing with viruses and bacteria…" K bowed her head and smiled. "…T is a master at verbal persuasion.." T grinned. "… S works in the FBI, P is a miracle worker with animals... and C… " He paused. I raised an eyebrow. "Well, C is a very good dictator." I chuckled. Good old L. Then I stoped chuckling for a minute and realized something.  
"L…?"  
"Yes, C?"  
"Were is A, B and V?"  
The room went quiet. A few people looked at each other, puzzled as well.  
L sighed. "It is my sad duty to tell you the fates of those three."  
"Fates…?"  
"Yes. Not long after you all left the orphanage, Roger discovered A dead in his room. B would've noticed earlier had he not requested his own room beforehand. He committed suicide, probably due to the pressure of living as my possible heir. Though rumors spread that B killed him and set it up to look like a suicide, we're really uncertain about that."  
"And…B? Where'd he go?"  
"Ah, not too long ago, he decided it'd be fun to run off and challenge me in LA. He committed a series of murders, all for a 'puzzle' which he thought I couldn't solve. He challenged me, even tried to take on my identity. Then he tried to commit suicide to make it the perfect crime. But one of my agents stopped him and, half burnt, we sent him to jail. Kira killed him a little while back."  
I cringed. Oh well. He'd been asking for it. "And as for that little bitch V?"  
"Such profanity…still the same as ever?"  
"Get on with it," I growled.  
"Right… shockingly, V had found my whereabouts and broke in and attempted to kill me and Watari. We had her apprehended and sent to a mental institute for a long while."  
"So I didn't do anything to provoke that crazy girl?"  
"No. It was a mental issue. You're eye wasn't targeted because of you."  
I touched the eye patch that went over my right eye, the one that she had mangled so long ago. "I'm still not forgiving her."  
"You never forgive anyone, hence why you're the leader of the mafia right now."  
"Hence, I rock."  
"Rock?"  
"…Its an American slang term. You wouldn't get it."  
"Ah. As I was saying, you twenty two will do a team effort with me involved too. We are to try and hunt down V."  
"Wait, I thought you said she was locked up!"  
"She escaped recently, therefore, it is our duty to protect everyone from her. She wants to kill important people, remember that. Everyone is at risk here. No one is to band off on their own until we capture her again. Roger will give you further instructions."  
The transmission ended and separate conversations broke out. I sat stunned still. A and B…dead. V was supposed to be in the loony bin, but she had escaped and was now intent on massacring. It was so suddenly onslaughted on me that I started to feel a bit nervous.  
"So… I'm assuming the next in line will be leading us?" K smiled at me. She looked devastated nonetheless at the news of A's death.  
"Yeah. Guess so." I pulled out a pocket knife from the leather pouch on my belt and started twirling it between my fingers. "Anyone who dares to get in my way gets this between the brows. Got it?"  
The crowd agreed quickly. I grinned. Being the leader of the mafia had never been what a girls mother would want her to grow up to be. Being in the mafia wasn't a what a normal girl would want to grow up to be either. But I never had a mother, and I was never normal. I was well suited. I was scary, ruthless and willing to slice people in two. I was the ideal modern day warrior woman. My genius put my at the head as well, as the last leader couldn't even read. It was remarkably easy to make my way up the ladder.  
"As L said, I have further instructions to give you." Roger stood up and all of us looked towards him. "He also recommended that we not go off our own ways. So all twenty two of you will fly to Japan on the same flight, and will be taken by Watari to L's Headquarters."  
"But…that's probably a place that can only hold two men!" J argued.  
"I assure you, it will be ale to accommodate all of you comfortably. So at this moment, please follow me to the Wammy private airport. We will take flight in a few minutes. Cancel any and all business plans you may have. You won't be back for a long while."  
We all muttered , dialing people quickly on our cell phones to cancel plans as Roger had recommended, and followed Roger out to the grounds. We passed a large amount of kids who were staring at us in the entrance hall. They were whispering to each other. I noticed that there were three kids who really stood out amongst the crowd; one sat with pure white hair in a corner putting together a puzzle, destroying it, then putting it together again, while two boys stood in a corner, one with blonde hair and a chocolate bar in his mouth, and another with goggles over his eyes and a gameboy in his hands. Now that I looked, people seemed to be in groups of five or more, except these three. I broke my stare and picked up the pace.  
We approached the airport. There was a single plane in the strip, large and bold. We boarded it as Roger spoke to the mustached pilot. Within a few minutes we took off, and I held my breath. Japan. I'd never been there before. But now, I guess I would.


	7. Chapter 7: End for now

Dearest readers,

Thank you, ever so much, for sticking with this as long as you have.

However, like I've mentioned on one other of my stories, I will not be continuing this.

The fact that I lost most of my scripts doesn't help me.

Nor does the fact that ending things that I forget about easily is difficult for me.

I realize the Death Note fandom is a large one, but I've somewhat dropped out of it to leave for bigger, better things, things that I actually take an active interest in. Death Note was a great read as my second manga ever, and those feelings of getting home and reading every chapter meticulously will never vanish from my heart, but it's time we go our separate ways, Death Note. Fans.

Yours truly, and as always quite regretful, Nexi/RTR.


End file.
